Letters to the EDITOR: Time to say ‘Goodbye’ to the Pre-Independence Act

Time to say ‘Goodbye’ to the Pre-Independence Act

The news headline 'Bill introduced to repeal the British-era Muslim Marriage Act’ published in your esteemed daily on August 23 is another historic step of the state government in reinforcing its statewide operation against child marriage. This long-awaited step of the government must be welcomed by all sections of the population, especially the indigenous Muslims in Assam. The replacement and repeal of the Assam Muslim Marriage Divorces Registration Act 1935 through ordinance 2024 has become utmost necessary as there is not at all any relevance to a British-era Act in the present-day context, as the outdated rules of the Muslim Marriage and Divorces Act are the biggest bottleneck in conducting a methodical socio-economic survey of the Muslims in Assam to provide insight into the general development and well-being of the population. It must be mentioned here that earlier there was a vast scope for easy registration of below-age Muslim marriages without any monitoring agency, which gave rise to a huge amount of litigation in the criminal and civil courts. Consequently, there was a scope of misuse of power by the authorised licensees, while the malpractice created an atmosphere of minor and forceful arranged marriages in Muslim society without the consent of the persons. Therefore, the repeal of the existing Act must be accepted by five indigenous Assamese Muslims with a positive frame of mind for facilitating the state government to take different suitable and effective measures for their socio-economic and political uplift, and this is the vision and mission of the state government. When the living standards of indigenous Muslims improve through the wise steps of the government, they will definitely come forward with an open mind to contribute immensely towards the all-round development of the state. It is now time for us to look forward to embracing modern and up-to-date policies and programs that mean inclusive growth and prosperity for the nation.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.

An exception

Like other states, Assam too saw a large exodus of politicians from one party to another, which has become routine in Indian democracy. The main reason behind this is the denial of party tickets, as these turncoats believe that they can serve the people only by being a minister, MLA, or MP.

One instance of these so-called ‘AYARAM GAYARAM’ amused me recently. He is none other than Ashok Sarma, a grassroots RSS worker and former Nalbari MLA who crossed over to Congress, citing some personal reasons that may be justified. With my limited knowledge, we know that the RSS is a non-political organisation that the Congress considers its No. 1 enemy. So it will be very interesting to watch how Ashok Sarma gets acclimatised to the Congress culture and ideology by being an RSS member at the same time. I believe Ashok Sarma is the first RSS worker who joined Congress without deserting the RSS, as the RSS is a very cadre-based apolitical organisation where such defection is rare.

I wish Ashok Sarma well in his new political venture.

Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Smart energy meters need calibration

Smart energy meters are stealing the limelight, and they are the talk of the town now. Earlier, we had mechanical meters installed by ASEB in our homes. A circular disc-type object used to move in a horizontal plane continuously when fans and light were kept on. Then mechanical meters were replaced by digital meters. We know that change is a constant. We have been accepting the change to keep pace with development. However, while using smart meters, maintaining fairness and accuracy is crucial. Smart meters are nothing but digital meters with additional features. Meter calibration means the act of checking or adjusting (by comparison with a standard meter) the accuracy of a meter through the actual test. Accuracy is the primary goal of calibration. Every engineer knows about the calibration of equipment. Even a student of science knows it well. The process involves testing, comparing the energy meter to determine the accuracy and reliability of its measurement results. The main purpose of having calibrated electricity meters is to protect the interests of consumers and power distributors and to prevent fraud in electricity charges.

All meters are supposed to be calibrated at the factory itself before they are released to the market. Some experts recommend the following: (1) The calibration is required when it is first installed for use; (2) the same is to be calibrated after five years of service. (3) re-calibration is required if it experiences any damage. (4) Re-calibration is required when the accuracy of the meter readings is suspected. Or a better schedule for the calibration of installed meters to be mooted. To address the grievances and doubts of consumers, APDCL should come forward to take up the job of recalibrating the energy meters in the presence of the consumers, wherever anomalies are appearing.

Prafulla Dowarah,

Guwahati